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Munich with a Munchkin

Monday, July 29, 2013

Thanks for the suggestions on our Germany itinerary. Munich seemed to edge out Berlin by a tiny margin and the flights seemed to line up so we are Munich bound (with a quick stop in Frankfurt) later this summer. Of course I still want to go to Berlin but we'll save that for a future trip.

27 comments:

Have you considered a trip to Switzerland? My husband and I have never gone with our kids. Only by ourselves. It's such a pristine, magical country. There's so much to love about it (wonderfully fresh air, efficient train system making tourism so easy, incredible natural beauty) and most of all it's quite a safe place. Ideal for a families.Enjoy Germany!

I loved Munich! We went during Oktoberfest, which there are actually tons of kids at (there are rides and stuff, but your baby is too little methinks). Plus thats in October and you are going in the summer :)

I loved Hofbrau Haus! Good food and good beer (that is where that baby is cheersing I think).

For future travels I would highly recommend Latin America when with kids. The culture loves kids and is highly tolerant of all the "Fun" kids bring to the picture. I have four kids and never once did I enter a restaurant or hotel without feeling fully welcomed. Its is not always the case in Northern Europe! Especially France, I love France but just walking around on the street I got the sense our brood was a bit obscene for their tastes.

I would also recommend saving european capitals for the teenage years. Younger kids love outdoor adventures and again Latin American is great for that.

Thanks. Sadly I've only visited South America one time on a trip to BA, Argentina. It was a great place but because public transportation wasn't that good and the flight is so extremely long (although the same time zone thing is pretty sweet), I didn't get the sense it would be great with a baby. Maybe with an older child that doesn't need a car seat? Are there cities that have a more robust infrastructure for getting around without a car?

I hope you detail your itinerary (with photos) when you get back! We are thinking of purchasing a BMW and taking advantage of their overseas delivery program -- with the kids, 11 and 9. If we do, we're going to time it so that we can go to Munich during the kids' Christmas break. It would be great to hear what all you did.

We did Munich last year with our kids who were 9, 5 and 1 at the time. We stayed with friends who did a wonderful job showing us around their city. I loved seeing my kids dressed in traditional lederhosen for the local Volksfest. The worst part- the food! I was a little freaked out about the lack of veggies on offer at restaurants but my kids survived fine on sausages and pretzels. Enjoy your trip!

Ps - I don't think I've ever known a more child-friendly city. Munich loves children. The U-Bahns can be pains - they all have elevators, though they do tend to smell a little unpleasant, but apart from that, Munich's very safe, and very child-friendly.

Rachel Preece, you must not live in New York! The U-Bahns are spotless compared to the NY subways :)

We went to Munich last year with our then 3 and 7 year old and we recommend:The ZooDer verrückte Eismacher (The Crazy Ice Cream Maker, YUM!)Kunst und Speil (Great three-level toy store that also had lovely women’s acessories that were my go-to gifts for friends back home)http://www.kunstundspiel.de/site/ We spent hours there!

Also we first went to Munich 12 years ago on our honeymoon when I was a vegetarian, you can find veggies, you just sometimes have to ask.

Also I recommend ordering a Radler at the biergartens (weissbier and lemonade) much easier to drink than a whole stein of beer, and a great refreshing summer drink. The better German version of a Shandy.

While I don't have any suggestions for Munich, I can set your mind at ease about German's hating babies. I was stationed in Mannheim, Germany while serving in the Army, and though I had been told that Germans hated the American servicemen/women that were there, we found that this was not true. As long as you make an attempt to speak the German language instead of the "rude American" who refuses to try, they will love you. And as far as children. They adore them. Do not be surprised if you find the Germans sneaking your kids extra strawberries, boiled eggs, or cheese if you attend the open air markets. I loved my time there, and would go back in a heartbeat. I hope you enjoy your trip, be safe.

Munich will be a wonderful contrast to NYC whereas Berlin has a much more urban (but also awesome) vibe. Nice thing about Munich is that it's pretty walkable and with a baby, just being outdoors in a nice environment counts for a lot - hate paying an art gallery admission and having to leave in 20 min because baby is freaking out...When I was there a long time ago, I spent a whole day just going to every church in the downtown area. It's a chance to see amazing art in very short doses.Enjoy.

The walkable part was definitely a selling point. Berlin seemed much more hip but also much more vast and overwelming. Particularily since this is our very first international trip with her, we wanted someplace that was a little more relaxed.

I am so jealous that you are going with Agatha. I lived in Munich and go back every couple of years, but I have never taken my children. However, because Agatha is still so young, I will share my recommendations for you adults.

You absolutely will want to spend time in the Englischer Garten. The biergarten at the Chinesischer Turm is a good one (I second the recommendation to try a Radler, but also suggest trying Obatzda, which is a Bavarian cheese spread that you eat with your giant pretzel), but another great idea is to bring a picnic. Wonderful places to pick up picnic food are the Viktualienmarkt (kind of like a permanent farmer's market right by the Marienplatz/the city center) or Dallmayr, which is an AMAZING food store. Both the Viktualienmarkt and Dallmayr are destinations in their own rights and wonderful sources for food souvenirs.

If Agatha will sit through it, a visit to one of the many great museums would be lovely. The big four are all clustered together, but two smaller ones - the Lenbachhaus and Villa Stuck - are much more interesting and more Munich. (Oh, and since I'm mentioning museums, another absolute MUST in Munich is seeing the surfers, yes, surfers, right behind the Haus der Kunst on the edge of the Englischer Garten.)

If you want a truly authentic indoor Biergarten, I recommend the Augustiner Braustuben. It's kind of out of the way in a more industrial area, but oh so good. The Hofbrauhaus is soooo terrible. I know tourists have fun there, but it would be as if someone came to NYC and ate at Guy Fieri's restaurant in Times Square for an authentic American meal. Grrr...

I don't know how long you're going to be in Munich, but if you have an extra day, get out of town! I LOVE Munich, but the surrounding area is so drop-dead gorgeous, it's worth a little train trip (and the trains are super easy and cheap - look into a Bayern ticket). You could visit Kloster Andechs (a very, very old monastery AND brewery), hike through the Alps in Berchtesgaden, or see the fantastical castles of Mad King Ludwig near Fuessen.

I could go on and on with more specific recommendations for places to eat and shop, etc...but the last suggestion I will leave you with is to stop into Kleidermarkt, which is a vintage shop where you can buy second-hand Dirndls or Lederhosen (children's sizes too). Bought new, they can be prohibitively expensive, but here they are the perfect price for a souvenir...and then you will always have a go-to Halloween costume hanging in your closet!

Oh, I just have to add one more thing: stop into a bookstore (Hugendubel is kind of like a Barnes & Noble equivalent) and buy a Wimmelbuch for Agatha. They are just big picture books with so many different scenes to look at and little children LOVE them. I brought the special Munich version back for my then-one year old daughter and it was one of the best things I ever bought for her.

I can totally appreciate the comment on Hofbrauhaus although so many people tell me its a fun if kitchy stop. I'm not sure I could convince my husband to skip it entirely but I will definitely check out your recommendations for comparison(I dont think anything could possibly be worst than eating in Guy Fieri's restaurant!)

Absolutely love the idea of buying a vintage drindl! We were joking about how much fun it would be to dress her up in one for photos in the city but then realized that might make us the very definition of terrible Americans :)

Would you happen to know if there are any antique flea markets in the city? (more for home decor than for clothing)

I was possibly too harsh on the Hofbrauhaus. People do seem to enjoy themselves there. The food isn't terrible and the music is fun, but every other person there will be a tourist. However, it is around the corner from a really cute little kitschy gift shop called Heimat. I highly recommend popping in there for fun/funny things.

Unfortunately, there isn't much of a flea market scene in Munich. I think there's a cultural aversion to used items (Munich can be kind of snooty). I have hoped to find something like they have in Paris, but haven't had luck yet, so if you do, let me know!

And don't worry about taking Dirndl pics! People wouldn't even bat an eye at you, because so many Bavarians wear their Dirndls and Lederhosen on a daily basis - young and old. You'll see it everywhere.

I went to Munich on business a few years ago and loved it (and wished I'd had more time to explore). I haven't traveled internationally with my kids yet but Germany seems like a safe bet. I found the Munich area really easy to navigate by train. Have fun!